This is what a 16-hour flight does to your body

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. First commercial flight powered by renewable energy takes to skies Co-ordination’s impaired for 48 hours One of the more serious effects of a long haul flight is, of course, jet lag. Loud noises damage your hearing People often spend a long haul flight watching films or listening to music, but given the ambient noise from fellow passengers and the nearby 140-decibel jet engine, you’re likely to jack volumes to dangerous levels. Dr Townend advises that it’s not as much of a problem as people expect it to be: “Dry air in the aircraft cabin makes the mucus membrane in the mouth and throat dry out a bit and makes you feel more thirsty, even if you're not.” But dry air, combined with higher-than-usual consumption of alcohol, tea and coffee, means you can arrive to your destination dehydrated. Any communicable diseases are likely to be passed between seats, and passengers are not more likely to catch coughs or colds on a 17-hour flight than they would be on a non-stop 17-hour bus or coach journey So relax and enjoy that 24 binge — Jack Bauer’s way more thrilling than the plane’s air circulation system.